


CD230

by EmpressofMankind



Category: Cyberpunk 2077 (Video Game)
Genre: Action & Romance, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, And I'll tell you all about it eventually, Banter, Best Friends, Biotechnology, Bisexual Character, Canon Rewrite, Comedy, Consensual But Not Safe Or Sane, Corpo V (Cyberpunk 2077), Cyberpunk, Dom/sub Undertones, Dry Humping, Dubious Science, Epic Friendship, Established Relationship, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Female Protagonist, Fluff and Smut, Friends With Benefits, Gun Kink, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Inspired by Cyberpunk 2077, Jackie Welles Lives, LGBTQ Character, Light Dom/sub, Multi, Mystery, Orgasm Denial, Pre-Canon, Science, Science Experiments, Sexual Humor, Smut, Suspense, Swearing, Teasing, There's A Plot In Here I Swear, Thriller, gone horribly right, no one is straight
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:00:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28393518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmpressofMankind/pseuds/EmpressofMankind
Summary: There was one thing Night City had going for it: the promise of anonymity, of ‘no questions asked’ and ‘no details given’. Had it been worth it? She liked to think she had a nice life now - a clean place to call her own, a job she enjoyed and friends she could bank on. Then one day, she stumbled on a detail, asked herself a question and went looking for the answer. Had that been inevitable? She knew she should leave well enough alone. But then, why didn’t she?
Relationships: Female V/Jackie Welles
Comments: 24
Kudos: 31





	1. Speed Dial #2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation of their Spanish (and any other languages, when applicable) can now be read on-the-go by hovering your mouse over the foreign language text!
> 
> Mind, Spanish is a second language for me and there are huge regional differences. I (tried to) lean towards Mexican Spanish turns of phrase and interjections to fit with Jackie and Eves their backgrounds. In the hover box, you’ll find translations/explanations for those that don’t speak any, or little, Spanish, so that you can get an idea of what I intended.
> 
> Unfortunately, this neat gimmick only works on PC, for now. Mobile and tablet users can find the translations collated in the end notes.

It was an innocuous enough looking thing, the assay disc.

The round and flat piece of disposable hardware had a small checkerboard of slots in the centre. A cheap but critical instrument that was a standard component in a mind-boggling amount of protein assay kits. And, a staple of her work.

Dr. Eves Olsen steadied her hand on the cold, steel bench of the downstream flow cabinet. Scrubbed air brushed down her knuckles as she brought her micropipette to bear. Its nano-tip appeared empty — the sample was that small — but it was there. Her heart beat in her ears, the release button slick under her thumb.

She glanced at the biowaste container sitting in the back corner of the bench. She’d put it there herself this morning, as she did every day. Small, steel, with a biohazard sticker on it and a fresh autoclave bag in it. Ready to receive every tip and tissue she decided to discard. It’d be easy, all she had to do was move the micropipette above it and click the release.

But her hand didn’t move and the micropipette remained posed above the assay disc. In fact, her grip on the disc itself became stronger, tighter. She ran her thumb across the release, thinking, considering.

And then she clicked.

The minuscule liquid sample caught the bright overhead tubelight on the way down.

_Uno. Dos._

Her heart took on the demanding rap of a landlord at the door as she waited.

_Tres. Cuatro._

Her nose brushed the plexglass screen as she leaned forward, her gaze stuck to the disc. Her heart beat louder by the counted second.

_Cinco…_

The gel matrix turned a sudden bright and incriminating blue.

She closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against the hood.

"Dios, ayúdanos…"

Her hand balled into a fist around the micropipette. She took a deep breath, opened her eyes.

It was still blue.

"Alvaro, terminate log." Eves click-discarded the used tip into the biowaste bin and put the micropipette down.

"Removing research audio notes is contradictory to academic procedure, doctor," the AI data-logger said as it rose from slumber. "If at a later point you—."

"Terminate log. Reboot to 14:47," she said as she reached for the control panel and engaged the sterilisation burner.

"Rebooting. 14:47. Protocol updated. Disc assembly step: completed. Proceed to the next step: sterilise disc."

Eves ignited the burner with grim determination. She had one shot to get it right, make it look plausible. And it was going to hurt.

The flame went blue, then invisible.

She clenched her teeth and swiped it across the disc according to sterilisation procedure: zigzag down the lanes to cover the whole area. But she went close, too close, and then jerked it across—she whined and dropped the disc as the torch bit her glove and right on through to her skin.

Alvaro flared up at her cry, as she had known it would: "Trauma grade 3. Response team pinged."

"¡Estoy bien!—I'm fine," she managed through gritted teeth. She said it for form, more than anything. It was what she'd have said with an actual accident. "Call 'em off."

"Trauma grade _three_. Response team en route."

She looked at the disc. The slots had molten into the gel carrier, the blue marking now a crispy black.

"Eves!"

Wick skidded around the corner and into the lab, Mina at his heels with a trauma-kit.

Eves raised her good hand in a dismissive gesture. "It's nothing. No contamination."

"Sjees-louise, Eves. That is a whole lot of nothing you did to yourself," he said as he caught sight of her burnt hand. The synth-rubber of her glove had molten and ran, showing a thumb-thick stripe of angry skin with a concerning fleshy red-white hue.

"I flinched while I tried to sterilise it." She indicated the ruined assay disc. “Like an idiot.”

Wick studied her, concern written as plain in the furrows creasing his forehead as a NiCola ad on a holoboard. He was a few years older than her, a decade, maybe, and took his charge as her section’s safety officer serious. Too serious, according to some. However, as she worked with outsourced SL3 biocomponents, Eves appreciated knowing he had triple checked safety parameters before they came anywhere near her.

She turned her attention to Mina, who was cutting the molten synth-rubber remnants away from her hand with a nanoscalpel before treating the burn. Eves stared at it. The burn didn't hurt as much as you'd think it should. _Right on through the nerves, then._

"Eves?"

Wick's voice came from somewhere far off.

_Second degree, at least._

"Eves!"

_It'll only leave a mark. Si tengo suerte._

Someone took her shoulders and shook them.

"Eves, stay with us!"

She snapped out of it.

Wick let go and frowned at her over the rim of his glasses. "Why don't you take the afternoon off?"

 _If only,_ Eves thought, but said: "Hiro will be pissed."

"Hiro can come in and pull ten hour lab days himself if he wants his results sooner."

She wondered if he knew.

"I am fine." She waved Mina off and regretted it immediately. Not all the nerves were dead, all right. The edges throbbed with the promise of hurting like a bitch-and-a-half before long.

His frown deepened. "You know what, stay home a couple of days. Rest."

"I can't afford—," she started by rote.

"I can't even remember when last you took _paid_ leave," Wick said. "I am writing you a slip and will take it up with HR. You go call someone to pick you up."

 _And implicate them if this shit goes sideways? No bueno._ And so, she said instead: “I can drive.”

"That is a bad idea." Mina gave her a helpless smile. "Motorcycles are vulnerable in the traffic as-is and I heard on the radio there's trouble in Heywood, it'll be thick with traffic and poor tempers."

_Do you know?_

"There's always trouble in Heywood," Eves said. Maybe going home wasn't such a bad idea. She needed to get outside. Clear her head. Talk to someone, maybe. "I can drive. Give me a shot and it won't bother me on the ride at all."

Wick and Mina exchanged a look that spoke volumes, but folded.

"At least call someone to meet up with you?" Mina said as she administered a mild, local anesthetic. She was sweet, really. But nervous and with a tendency to worry about a case of the sniffles.

Órale. Fine."

Eves feigned impatience as Mina bandaged her hand to mask her nerves. _Did they know? Did Hiro? Whose call had this been?_

She did need to talk to someone.

Someone she could trust.

When Mina had finished, Eves dug into the pockets of her lab coat and retrieved her phone. It was an older model but it worked and wasn't a company loan. She swiped to speed dial and hit #2.

The phone took a whole moment to decide if it'd connect and go over.

But then it went over.

_Pick up._

And over.

_Pick up, gordito._

And over.

When it clicked home, music blasted through at a volume that made the speaker crackle and her ear pop. Voices and laughter behind the beats, perfectly incomprehensible. Out with the squad, by the sound of it.

"¡Oye, hola chica!"

Eves could barely understand Jackie, even though he shouted into the phone. "Ola, it's me, esé." She glanced at Wick, who watched her call as Mina packed her trauma kit. "Can we meet up?"

A pause.

"¿Qué pasó, V? You in trouble?"

_Not yet._ She shook her head, remembered she was calling and said: "Nada. Did a stupid at work, is all."

The music abruptly stopped. Talking in the background, louder by the second.

"Mande, whaddya say?" he said, then added, away from the phone:"— ¡Cállense!"

"Just a lab accident." Wick's frown grew an inch deeper but she ignored it. "Minor, really."

"You OK, chica?"

Eves flexed her hand, testing her ravaged thumb. "I'll live."

Another pause.

"That don sound like a 'yes'."

She rolled her eyes. "Estoy bien."

"Sííí, claro."

"Can we meet?"

More talking in the background.

"If you don't have time—," she added.

"I'll make time, hermana."

Eves smiled despite herself. "Meet you at Lizzy's, then?"

"Claro, be there in twenty."

The music blasted back on right before the line went flat. Eves rose and stuck her phone in the back pocket of her jeans.

"I can drop you off at the bar, if you like?" Mina said as they walked out of the laboratory.

"That's sweet but really not necessary." Eves dug around her lab coat pockets and moved items from there to her jeans and the front pocket of her hoodie: Alvaro’s data-cube, ID, keys, lighter, penknife, phon— _¡Mierda!_ She patted herself down, found it in the back pocket of her jeans and remembered. _Right._

"You sure?" Doubt clung to Mina's every syllable.

"Yea." Eves shrugged off her lab coat and tossed it unto its peg, dodging Mina's sad eyes. "I wanna bring my bike," she added and grabbed her jacket. "Jackie and I might go around Lake Park a bit. Clear my head."

Eves stole a glance at her as they walked to the garage. Mina worried her lip. She was no fan of motorcycles, nevermind racing them. Eves felt bad for her, she hadn't known she was on call today. If she had known, she’d have done the assay tomorrow.

Her turquoise baby stood parked right where she'd left him. "Tell you what," Eves said as she hopped unto her ARCH Intruder. "If I don't feel good, I'll leave my baby here with Rhean and make Jack drop me off at home. How's that?"

A fragile smile replaced Mina's sad frown. "OK."

"OK! Come here." Eves gave her a firm hug. And though Mina returned it, her touch was feather light. 

"Take care," Mina said and let go as Eves kick-started her bike.

"¡Te veo!"

"Ciao!"

Eves saw her raise a timid hand through her rear-view mirror as she powered out of the dark garage and unto the Memorial Park roundabout of Corpo Plaza.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation/explanation of their Spanish, by request :)
> 
> Eves:   
> Dios, ayúdanos  
> God, help us all
> 
> Eves:  
> Estoy bien  
> I am good  
> Similar to the English “I am fine” or “Am OK”
> 
> Eves:  
> Si tengo suerte  
> If I have luck, i.e. if I am lucky
> 
> Eves:  
> No bueno  
> Turn of phrase that drops the verb. Very versatile. Here she uses it as similar to the english ‘no way’ or ‘not happening’. Its NOT a grammatically correct way to say something isn’t good in the more literal sense. You’d instead say, like, that band is not good - la banda no es buena.
> 
> Eves:  
> Órale  
> Common and versatile interjection, may be derived from ‘ahorale’ (ahora meaning now). It’s somewhat similar to the English usage of ‘okay’ in that you can say it in about five thousand different tones of voice to give it ten thousand different meanings. Eves uses it a lot, it’s one of her go-to words.
> 
> Eves:  
> Gordito  
> Nickname, and though it literally means ‘little fatty’, she says it with love. Eves and Jackie’s nickname game is strong and outrageous (especially when together/to eachother), so prepare yourself because some of these do not hold up great in english, haha.
> 
> Jackie:  
> Oye, hola chica  
> Hey, hello girl  
> Or babe, or honey, depending entirely on your milage, their tone, who says it, and so on. I tend to use chica as in the english “yo girl”. Can be gendered masculine to chico, too.  
> Oye is an interjection, and one Jackie uses a lot. It is similar to the english ‘Hey!’ or ‘Listen up!’ Its informal and can be rude.
> 
> Eves:  
> Ola, it’s me, esé  
> Painting the fourth wall a little here, but I read ‘Ola’ more as ‘hi’ and ‘Hola’ as a slightly more formal ‘hello’.  
> Esé has the same energy as ‘dude’, ‘guy’ or ‘homeboy’ in english. I’ve heard it used for women too, like how in english you can with ‘dude’. Eves uses it to mean ‘homeboy’.
> 
> Jackie:  
> Qué pasó  
> What happened  
> I went with qué pasó vs qué pasa because he’s actually asking her what (has) happened, rather than the more rethorical “What’s up” of qué pasa.
> 
> Eves:  
> Nada  
> Nothing
> 
> Jackie:  
> Mande  
> Your mother ever tell you “say ‘what did you say’ not ‘what’!” when you say “what?” when you didn’t get what someone said to you? Same energy as “Don’t say qué, say mande”.
> 
> Jackie:  
> Cállense  
> Shut up (to a group of people)
> 
> Jackie:  
> Sí, claro  
> Yes, clear  
> Claro is one of many ways to express agreement. Its pretty versatile. Here he uses the combination more like an ironic “Yeeeaaa, obviously” in English. In that ‘whatever you say, girl, and the tone of my voice is making it obvious I don’t believe it nor agree with it’ way. He uses it again a few sentences later to express an unironic ‘Sure’ or ‘Yea’.
> 
> Eves:  
> Mierda  
> Shit  
> Milage varies, I tend to read it more as exclaiming a somewhat civilized ‘poop’ rather than the ruder english ‘shit’.
> 
> Eves:  
> Te veo  
> See you (later)
> 
> Mina:  
> Ciao  
> (Good)bye  
> Not spanish, but italian. Because Mina is italian. Although I suppose ‘ciao’ gets used in english too.


	2. Nachos at Lizzy's

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you feel like there’s more Spanish in this chapter, then you’re right: there is.
> 
> It’s a compromise I made while writing. Because, in all honesty, I feel they would be speaking Spanish to each other. However, this is an English-listed fanfic and writing all quotes in Spanish would not have been very helpful. So, I tried to convey the feeling of them speaking in Spanish by having them slip into (short) fully Spanish sentences more, or replying in Spanish when asked something in English.

Eves took the crooked 12-O' out of Downtown and cut through Little China to Kabuki by the old festival square. Seeing the lights jump red, she pulled up and took a stretch of sidewalk instead, down three steps and across the car park behind Lizzy's. Eves parked her bike near the wire mesh fence beside an ARCH Nazaré she’d have recognised among a hundred red ones, and not just for the Valentino decals. She held a hand near its engine block. Still warm.

It was early, but the bar’s neon welcome sign was lit. A bouncer stood smoking by the back door, chrome cigarette in one hand and dented baseball bat in the other. With her shock of purple hair and all but trademarked holographic hot pants, Eves recognised the burly woman immediately. 

"¡Ola Rhean!" she called and spread her arms as she approached. "¡Buenos días!"

Rhean glanced up from her smoke and tapped her baseball bat against the wall. "Hey hon, long time no see!"

They embraced and Eves kissed her cheek.

"Thought you'd made it big, girl. Inventing some med-hack or the other?" Rhean said as they separated. She took a draw from her cigarette, and a crooked grin revealed an edge of teeth from between black-painted lips. "Leavin' us hang in this trashcan."

"I would never. You're quality trash, chica," Eves said with a fist-bump to her muscular shoulder. "You deserve a gold-plated can."

Rhean snorted with amusement, smoke escaping her nose. She motioned with her cig at the back entrance. "That bag o' washed-up roids rolled in a hot minute ago."

“¡Oye! He's my best friend!”

Rhean crooked an eyebrow. “Sure, one with mighty fine benefits.”

“Don’t say that, I do care about him.”

“I know plenty well you do, hon.”

"We go back. Seen shit." Eves flexed her hand and frowned. "You know the gutter we climbed out of."

“Yea, _you_ did, hon. Got a nice life now, clean place and the job you wanted.” Rhean took a long draw from her cigarette. “Don’t need gangers around no more,” she added in a cloud of smoke.

Eves pursed her lips sideways. “You’re a ganger yourself.”

Rhean pointed at her with her cig. “That’s how I know ya don’t need this shit permanent-like.”

Eves glanced away. Rhean only meant to look out for her, but her words stung, regardless. She flexed her hand and fingered the bandage, not liking how she still felt the bar against her palm.

"You OK, hon? Don't seem so hot."

Eves looked up to find Rhean's face had darkened, her eyes on the bandage.

"He do something?" She pointedly glanced at her baseball bat. 

"¡Nada! No!" Eves shook her head and stuck her hands in her jacket pockets. "Accident at work."

"Huh-huh." Rhean studied her from amid her cloud of smoke.

Eves could hardly fault her, Rhean had lived some premium shit at the hands of men. She forced a smile, pushing the awkward silence aside. "You'd be the first to know, te prometo."

To her relief, the crooked grin returned.

Rhean nudged her knuckles against Eves' cheek and blew smoke out through her nose. "I better."

"Where did you stuff him? And don’t say a dumpster.”

She snorted. "He stuffed himself."

"¿Qué?"

"Straight back, fourth over."

"Gracias."

Eves entered the bar's dank back entrance and was welcomed by beats that pumped through the concrete like an arrhythmic heartbeat; as if she'd stepped into the mould-stained belly of a dying beast. One of the overhead tube lights flickered as she moved along the corridor. It cast a guy sprawled in what was, by the acrid smell, a pool of his own vomit, in sharp relief against the flaking plaster. She paused to acclimatise to the sudden blast of music and strobing pink light as she came around the damper walls. Bile rose, and she closed her eyes, forcing it back down.

*Exhaustion and anaesthetics do that, chica.* Eves realised she hadn't eaten all that much either. There you had it, those three combined that must be why. She waited for her stomach to settle as she took in the grooving crowd. Despite the early hour, the place was far from deserted and by 6-O', she knew it'd be packed.

What had Rhean said?

Straight back, fourth over?

It was busy enough that she couldn't clearly see across the dance floor to the booths flanking its front side. So, she made her way through the crowd, skirting the dance floor itself and dodging past the brain dance stations near the lounge area. Sure enough, she spotted Jackie slouched in the fourth booth over. Wait, were that— Santa Muerte, _nachos_. Her stomach made a pathetically desperate noise as he clocked her in turn, rose and wiped his hands on his pants as she approached.

"¡Oye, mi calaca!" Jackie spread his arms, and his broad grin made her smile in turn.

"Te quiero, burrito," she said and kissed his cheek as he caught her in a bear-hug that ground her shoulder blades together.

"¡Pinche—!" she yelped, though not from the hug. She had hit her hand against the butt of Jackie's pistol when she returned his embrace.

"Huh?" He promptly let go of her, then spotted the bandage. "Shit V, what happened?"

Eves cradled her mangled hand. It stung like a whole bitch now. So much for the anaesthetics. "Wrestled a gas-burner and lost."

"I have some—." He patted himself down then pulled a BounceBack Mk1-B from the inside pocket of his jacket. She recognised it's yellow APAP-sticker and smiled. "Here."

"You still got that cold?" Eves said as he gave her the metered-dose inhaler.

"¿Yo no creo? Airways are fine." He exhaled with a bullish snort by way of proof.

Eves wiped the mouthpiece with the sleeve of her hoodie anyway. "I do research with SL3s now, can't harbour anything or Wick will faint."

Jackie's grin split broad as could be. "¡Bien merecido! I knew you would get it!"

"Gracias." Eves smiled, pleased with herself. Her own confidence hadn't been near as rock-solid. She shook the inhaler, listening for the slosh of the aerosol meds inside. "When was the last time you used this?"

"Este..."

"Tell me this hasn't been living in your jacket for the past year, esé." Eves flexed her hand. The pain was on a steady increase. "If it knocks me out, ping trauma team; the card's behind my phone sleeve. Tell them I can't have ASA or NSAIDs."

"Sí, chica." A frown had replaced his earlier grin. "We can drop by Vik, get a new one?"

"The hurt is getting worse, and if I don't get a retardant fast, sharp objects are going to look real friendly soon." Eves put the inhaler in her mouth and squeezed it as she inhaled. One. Two. Three.

It hit like a freight train, and her vision drew white.

But in a _good_ way.

"¿Churri, estas bien?"

Her shoulders were seized in a firm grip as the pain dulled. She smiled as it became little more than a pulse at the edge of her consciousness.

"¿Puedes escucharme?"

"Soy buena," she managed as her hands found his shoulders. Her vision cleared a moment later. She was half his weight, and even he only used two. "Three may have been a little excessive."

"Pain gone, though?" Jackie asked. He hadn't let go of her just yet.

"Yea." She shook the inhaler. Still, some left. "Cool if I keep it?"

"Sí." He let go and pointed at her hand. "So, this got any to do with why you called?"

"No, compadre. I roast my hands for the hell of it."

"Eh, hermana." He dropped an arm around her shoulders and tugged her with towards the booth. "You tell Jackie about this shit."

Eves let him chuck her onto the couch and scooted over to make space. And spotted the half-finished plate of nachos—topped with pulled pork and coated in a thick layer of molten cheese. Her stomach reminded her of its neglect and she promptly dug in.

"¡Oye! I wasn't finished with that!"

"You've finished plenty, gordito," she said, mouth full and shovelling in more. When Jackie moved in to take it back, she put a hand against his chest, leaned away further and wolfed the nachos down faster still. Now that she was eating, she realised she was starved.

"Chica~."

She glanced up in the middle of a bite, and actually stopped chewing.

He dangled in front of her the only thing that could possibly improve these nachos: Tió's habanero hot sauce.

She grabbed for it, but he pulled it out of reach at the last moment. Cussing and coughing she lunged for it twice more before he let her have it.

"Pendejo."

She snatched it from him as he kissed the air in her direction. Popping the cap off the bottle with her good thumb, she unapologetically dunked a fat cross of the delicious sauce across the nachos.

Jackie raised his hand as a waitress passed, indicating the quickly emptying plate before holding up two fingers. “Ya been tight the past weeks, this biz a good science gig?”

Eves crooked an eyebrow from above a bite of nachos. “Miss me, esé? Sounded like you were havin’ a good time with the squad.”

“Course I do, chica.” He grinned and pointed at himself as he slouched against the couch. “I know you miss me too, eh.”

“Like a BioMon glitch.” Eves smiled though, then added: “por Dios, you ordered more?”

A waitress had come towards them heralded by the mouth-watering aromas of nachos. And, sure enough, she put the two plates of pulled and shredded goodness in front of them.

“I know what you like,” he said with that same broad grin, then pulled one of the plates towards himself and dug in. 

Eves couldn’t disagree with that and claimed the second plate. She drenched it in hot sauce and worked through the nachos at a decent pace but not nearly fast enough. In no time at all, Jackie shoved his empty plate aside and put an arm around her neck.

“¿Ya estuvo con esos?” he said and pointed at her plate from around her shoulder.

Eves glanced at him in the middle of a bite. “¡No!”

He fished a clump of nachos from her plate and ate them.  “Ni modo, chica.”

Eves elbowed in response, but it did little to dislodge him. “Chowhound.”

“Te quiero, santita de yeso,” he replied, pilfered another two clumps and slumped back.

Eves finished the plate in due time and slouched with a satisfied sigh. “Santa Muerte, I’d forgotten how good these are.”

Having eaten, they got back to the why of her call.

“Pues, the science gig —it go ass up?” Jackie asked as he put his arms along the backrest.

“Not yet.” Eves shook her head and helped herself to his NiCola. She drank deeply as he rolled his head sideways and tapped her shoulder. 

“Think it will?”

“Este…” Eves lowered the can and looked up. “Yes. Digo, probably.”

“Híííjole.”

Eves nodded and took another sip. “Pretty much.”

She tried to decide where to start, what to say —how much to say. She glanced at Jackie, whose frown creased into full-blown concern.

“You in danger?”

“I don’t think so…”

“That doesn’t make me feel a whole lot better, V.”

A waiter put a new can in front of Jackie, who glanced away to thank him. “Gracias, bonito.”

“No problem, beau.”

“On a scale of zero to inferno,” Jackie said as he popped the can with a satisfying fizz. “How bad is it?”

Eves watched the movement of his adam’s apple as he drank. “A ver, a solid twelve.”

Jackie snorted his soda at her words, a coughing fit immediately following. “Este muy mal,” he managed as he rubbed his sleeve past his face.

“Probably.” Eves nursed the can of NiCola. “Pues, I don’t know where to start.”

“Start at the worst part?”

“Órale.” Eves nestled against his side and he put his arm around her shoulders. She brought the can to her lips but nothing came out. “Remember how I always say Biotechnica isn’t such a bad corp?”

“Yea?”

Eves shook the can. It was empty.

“I take it back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation of their Spanish: 
> 
> Eves:  
> Buenos días  
> Good morning / good day
> 
> Eves:  
> Te prometo  
> I promise
> 
> Eves:  
> Qué  
> What  
> Yes, there is a reason she uses ‘qué’ and not ‘mande’, if you’re wondering. It’s also side-plot related so I am not going to tell you yet.
> 
> Jackie:  
> Oye, mi calaca  
> Hey, my calaca  
> Nickname he uses for V. Calaca is a colloquial word for ‘skeleton’ often specifically used for the typical Day of the Dead skeleton dolls. This is also the meaning in which he uses it. He’s basically calling her a cheerful, fancy, Bougie skeleton. With love.
> 
> Eves:  
> Te quiero, burrito  
> I love you, burrito  
> Nickname she uses for Jackie, derived from an in-joke about the XXL Burrito ads. She also calls him churrito which is a contraction of ‘chulo’ (handsome, good-looking) and burrito. ‘Te quiero’ is a kind of friendly or familial way to say ‘I love you’, like you would to family and friends.
> 
> Eves:  
> Pinche  
> Literally, it means ‘scullion’ but it is used and understood to mean ‘fucking’ when sticking it in front of nouns. I don’t recommend using it in polite company.
> 
> Jackie:  
> Yo no creo  
> I don’t believe  
> Used in a similar way as the English ‘I don’t think so’. The Spanish verb means both ‘believe’ and ‘think’.
> 
> Jackie:  
> Bien merecido  
> Well deserved  
> Bien can be tricky as it can mean both good and well (as a synonym of good, like well-made). Here it is used to function the way the English ‘well’ does when you say things like ‘well done’.
> 
> Eves:  
> Gracias  
> Thank you  
> Or thanks, depending on context and tone.
> 
> Jackie:  
> Este  
> This  
> However, it functions as a filler word here. Similar to the “uhm” sound in English.
> 
> Jackie:  
> Churri, estas bien  
> Churri, are you good (ie. are you OK)  
> Another nickname, cutesy version of churros, the snack.
> 
> Jackie:  
> Puedes escucharme  
> Can you hear me
> 
> Eves:  
> Soy buena  
> I’m good  
> Eves:  
> No, compadre  
> Compadre means ‘godfather’ but it is used similar to the English ‘buddy’ or ‘friend’. She’s using it here in that unfriendly manner, like, ‘no, buddy’.
> 
> Jackie:  
> Eh, hermana  
> Hey, sister  
> Not sure how else to translate ‘eh’, he’s using it like when in English you say ‘hey’ to comfort someone rather than (only) draw their attention. Like in ‘hey, it’s OK’
> 
> Eves:  
> Pendejo  
> Mileage varies, runs the gamut from ‘dumbass’ to and ‘motherfucker’. Tone is everything? She’s using it like ‘asshole’ here. It comes from the Latin root for pubic hair. The more you know!
> 
> Eves:  
> Por Díos  
> Oh my God
> 
> Jackie:  
> Ya estuvo con esos  
> Are you done with those  
> ‘Ya estuvo’ is another one of those great little sentences that can mean a million things. It usually means ‘that’s enough’ or ‘that’s it’, expressing frustration and asking someone to cut whatever shit they’re up to out. You can also use it to ask if something or someone is done or finished. Or a tricky use where it’s employed as something like ‘for sure’ or ‘certainly’ when making an assumption. Anyway, Jackie is using it here to ask if she’s finished with those nachos.
> 
> Jackie:  
> Ni modo  
> Either way  
> Used in this context to say ‘too bad’ or ‘tough luck’. It’s rude and dismissive but you’d use it with friends you know well.
> 
> Jackie:  
> Te quiero, santita de yeso  
> I love you, little plaster Saint  
> He’s calling her a hypocrite is what he’s doing (she did nab his nachos, too). In a really cool and cutesy way. And with love. I warned you, didn’t I? Their nickname-game is Olympic level
> 
> Eves:  
> Santa Muerte  
> Saint Death  
> Or, Lady Death? It’s the feminine of ‘Saint’.
> 
> Jackie:  
> Pues  
> Well  
> Another filler word, used similar to the English ‘well’ when you go ‘weeelllll…’ while thinking what to say.
> 
> Eves:  
> Digo  
> I mean  
> More filler words! Used to correct something you said before, like when in English you would go: ‘Yes. I mean, probably’ or ‘It’s at 5, I mean, 6.’
> 
> Jackie:  
> Híjole  
> Contraction of ‘hijo de puta’, that is, ‘son of a bitch’. Used as an interjection to express surprise or, in this case, that ‘ooooooh boy’ or ‘wow fuck that’ kind of feeling.
> 
> Jackie:  
> Gracias, bonito  
> Thanks, handsome
> 
> Jackie:  
> Infierno  
> Hell
> 
> Eves:  
> A ver  
> Show me  
> Still more filler words! It’s used similar to the English ‘Let’s see…’ when you think about what to say, or when you’re making a guess.
> 
> Jackie:  
> Este muy mal  
> That’s bad  
> ‘Muy mal’ is another one of those phrases that is used a lot and expresses that something is bad/poor/terribly/shitty/unfortunate/undesirable and so on.


	3. A Corp is a corp

“¡Lo pinche sabiá!” Jackie sat the NiCola can down with enough force to expel soda from it. “Una corp es—”

“—Una corp primero,” Eves finished and hunched, dejected. She should have known.

He pulled her closer and gave her shoulders a good squeeze. “Lo siento, churri. I know this gig was important to you.”

“I know. Digo, I don’t know what I expected.”

“Good things! And that isn’t bad.” Jackie nudged her shoulder, catching her gaze with a smile. “If you didn’t, mi cerebrita chula wouldn’t put up with me, eh?”

She smiled and brushed her nose against his. “You’re not that terrible.”

Her reply turned his smile into a goofy grin. She liked how it squinted his blue eyes. “I’ll remember that,” he said as he stroke the back of her neck.

She leaned closer, but his gaze jumped away across her shoulder. She frowned, shifted—.

“¡No mires!”

Eves froze at the alarm in his abruptly lowered tone.

“¿Qué?” she murmured against his lips.

His gaze returned to hers, though he gave a slight jerk in the direction he’d glanced. “Chica over there has been far too interested in us.”

“Anyone, we know?” She caressed his cheek and pressed a kiss against his lips, tasting NiCola.

“Not me,” he said between her kisses, then pulled her unto his lap and turned in his seat.

Eves cast a surreptitious glance over his broad shoulders when he nuzzled her neck and slipped a warm hand under the edge of her jeans.

“La rascaciela with the holo-glasses.” 

She felt his words on her skin, and goosebumps ran down her spine as she scanned the crowd. And then Eves saw her, near the brain dance stations and quite probably within hearing distance: a tall woman in chrome heels that added another four inches. The holographic glasses obscured most of her face, flickering in the strobing light. There was something familiar about her, but she couldn’t place it.

Eves caught Jackie’s face with both hands. “I don’t know her,” she said against his lips and kissed him.

“She still lookin’?”

Eves glanced past him without breaking their kiss. “Sí.”

“Agh, wanna bet it’s not for the free entertainment?” he said as he pushed her hoodie up to tug her tanktop from her pants.

“Entertainment?” She bit his lower lip and gave it a little tug. “You’ll have to try harder to classify as that, esé.”

Eves yelped when he chucked her off his lap and onto the couch. He cradled the back of her head as he pushed her down and leaned over her. “Harder, mamacita?” Jackie ghosted a kiss against her lips. “I can do that.”

She brushed her nose against his. “Can you, mi torro chulo?” Her hands moved from his shoulders to around his neck as she pulled him down between her legs.

“You get off easy today, churri.” He settled his weight between her thighs, drawing a little noise from her. “You’re not wearing any red.”

“Falla mía.”

“Know what else is your fault?” he said close to her cheek and pointedly ground his hips against her.

She moaned at the firm press of his erection through their clothes. It was getting tough to think straight. She hadn’t seen him - or anyone - for a while.

When he kissed her again, she immediately deepened it. Her arm locked around his neck to keep him close as she reached for his belt. She’d been terrifyingly busy. And now every inch of her body seemed dead-set on collecting that debt post-haste. The noise he made when she jerked the recalcitrant leather lose settled in her bones.

_Por Dios._

She wanted to. But there was the thing, the reason she’d called Jackie. The woman he’d spotted.

_The woman._

Was she still there?

Eves dragged herself up by his thick neck to be able to look across his bulk. The woman with the holo-glasses was still there and—

“¡Mierda, Jack!” She smacked his shoulder. The groan as he wrestled her back down send her as surely as the BounceBack had. She resisted, hit his shoulder, harder, and then the side of his head. “Ya estuvo, cachondo. She’s calling someone!”

“¿Mande?” Hazy blue eyes full of dazed question marks. Then he moved to sit up, but Eves jerked him back down by the front of his tanktop.

“¡Ven pa’ca, tonto! You’ll give it away,” she hissed.

“What is it, V?” His whisper was a husky rumble, and she forced herself to ignore the pleasant feeling it sparked.

“She’s calling someone.” Eves spied across his shoulder once more. “Still is.”

“¡Agh, pinche—! We have to get outta here.”

Eves couldn’t agree more, but how were they going to manage that without being spotted? Any moment now, the woman would hang up and realise they weren’t actually fucking.

The music switched just then, and Jackie promptly rose and dragged her to her feet with him. “C’mon chica. I dig these beats.” His tone was loud and cheerful, but his eyes informed her of the plan: time to scram.

He led her along by the hand, unto the dance floor and into the dense crowd. They danced and disappeared. The beats sped up, and they moved with it, losing themselves in the press of bodies, the strobing lights, the overpowering music. Eves forgot about what she’d discovered in the lab, the strange woman, everything. No thoughts, no fears. There was just her body, moving, in a world that flickered in the blacklight like a bad framerate drop. The dozens of nameless, faceless others faded into a pulsing, glittering, gleaming background around them. There was just her. And Jackie.

The music shifted, and its pace wound down to a cosmic groove. Eves let him reel her in, wrapping their arms around her till her shoulders struck his chest. She cupped his jaw with her free hand and kissed him before unrolling herself with a twirl. Around them, the crowd calmed, like the sea flattening out in the wake of a storm.

Standing still, she felt light-headed.

“¿Chica?”

Eves stumbled forward and clamped the edges of his jacket.

Hands at her waist, steadying her. 

“¿El dolor?”

She shifted. No stab ran up her spine. Then she remembered her hand and glanced at it. It didn’t hurt, either. Her muscles ached, sure, but in a good way. For once.

“No. Cansada—a little tired.” She let go of him and pushed a bang of hair from her face. “If we don’t pause, you’ll have to carry me.”

He ran his hand up her back and put his arm around her neck, squeezing her close in what amounted to a friendly chokehold. “Ya gonna say that like it’s a bad thing?”

She smiled and leaned against him as they moved to the side, her arm around his waist. “Eres el mejor.”

He pressed a kiss against the side of her forehead in response.

By now, Lizzy’s was beyond packed. Not only were all seats long taken, but most of all other things you could sit on - rails, backrests, stairs, wall rims - were too. They found a corner at the back, near the rear entrance damper walls. Jackie leaned a shoulder against the spray-painted plaster, back-lit by the emergency exit sign.

Eves eyed the nearby crowd. “I don’t see her any more.”

“Good.” He frowned though, and he’d crossed his arms. Always a poor sign when combined. He nodded in her direction. “The science gig?”

Eves chewed the inside of her cheek. She’d called him to tell him, and she would. But she didn’t want the shadow under the water to breach the surface. Not yet. Not now. She put her hands on his lower arms. “Later? Te prometo.” 

She could tell he didn’t like it, but he nodded and uncrossed his arms. She leaned her hands on his chest, stood up on her toes and pressed a kiss against his frown.

He caught the back of her head and deepened the kiss. His hands were on her waist, then butt.

She squeaked at the firm squeeze, which made him smile because she could feel it reshape their kiss. She tugged his tanktop from his pants, fingertips across warm skin, moving around to his back. She counted the vertebrae, caressing the old scars there.

His hands moved further down, fingertips pressing against her inner thighs. It send sparks racing up her spine. She made a noise into their kiss and reached down to grab the front of his pants.

She paused, smiled, and made a face as she palmed his junk through his jeans. “¡Ay! Chafa…” It was far softer than she’d expected.

A crooked grin surfaced behind his hooded gaze. “Yea you, chica,” he said and gave her butt another squeeze.

“Is that a challenge, esé?” she breathed against his lips as she returned the favour. The grunt that drew from him was entirely satisfactory.

Jackie turned and dropped both shoulders heavily against the wall. Pulling Eves with, he all but sat her on his hips, her hand now trapped between them.

“Can you, churri?”

Hearing her own tease used against her, she favoured him a look that only made him grin wider still. He caught her butt in a firm grip with both hands, supporting her weight as he rolled his hips up.

At the last moment, Eves sat up and out of his reach. She caught his face in her hands, bringing him nose to nose.

“¿Olé?”

Her grin mirrored itself on his face as he replied with a bullish snort and did it again.

She braced herself on his broad shoulders, sat up and rode against him, drawing a groan from him as he pressed his fingers between her legs. Again and again, she did it. Her thigh muscles strained, but she ignored it, the ever firmer press of his erection driving her actions rougher. She clung round his neck and whined unapologetically as pleasure pulsed up her spine with every push.

Jackie rolled them around with a grunt, her shoulders and back hitting the wall. He leaned his forehead against hers. His breathing heavy, the press of his chest expanding under its force squeezing her against the rough bricks. Their combined weight pressed her butt into his hand, trapped beneath her, fingers pressing as far between her labia as her jeans would allow. And not _nearly_ far enough.

Eves wrapped her legs around his waist and whined as he thrust against her. She gave up trying to maintain a kiss, clung an arm around his thick neck and rolled her hips to meet him. The firm push of his strong fingers through her jeans rubbed her just right. His breath came in short, hot bursts against her neck. Her hands, slick with sweat, struggled for purchase on his leather jacket.

*Aaay, Dios mío,* she thought as her knees went weak with the tremors of pleasure that surged through them every time he pounded her against the wall.

She needed this.

And she was so close, too.

And then Eves saw her—all six foot and four extra inches of her.

Their gazes crossed.

Her heart skipped a whole three beats, and she immediately rolled her eyes back and pretended it was something else.

“Jack. _Jack_ ,” she hissed. “Hija de puta is back.”

“Pinche—we should have left,” he managed through ground teeth. His pace slowed, but his shoulders went taut. She rested her cheek on one of them and massaged his neck soothingly as she resisted the urge to scream in rage while her pleasure sizzled out without release.

He breathed heavily through his nose, hands palming her butt not unlike a stress-squeezy. “Tempted to turn and shoot her in the face, querida.”

She could relate to that, all right.

Jackie shifted his stance, putting a forearm underneath her bum to hold her up. She nuzzled his jaw, and he kissed her cheek. She felt his words against her skin more than heard them: “exit strategy?”

She glanced at him from the corners of her eyes.

“Not guns blazing.”

His over-acted pout made her smile.

“En otro momento, mi tonto macho.” Turning serious, then, she added: “Let’s dodge out back, but without giving away we’re beating it.”

He promptly tossed her off his waist.

“¿Qué carajo—?” Eves started, stumbling unto her own two feet.

Jackie leaned away from her, grinning broadly and spreading his arms. “Want some _real_ fucking with this, mamacita?” he said with _very_ loud cheer as he rolled his shoulders.

Eves grabbed his gun belt, pulled him in close and replied through batted eyes: “You’re dead, esé.”

He kissed the air in her direction, and she flicked her eyes up in response. “Ven pa’ca, cachondo, before she realises this isn’t her favourite telenovella.”

She took his hand and pulled him along, though, after a few steps, he caught up and wrapped an arm around her waist as they rounded the damper walls and into the rear hallway. The tube light at the end of it flickered, making their shadows dance. Puke-swimmer still sprawled near the exit. She wondered if he were dead.

“¡Ay Muerte!” Her back hit stone as Jackie shoved her against the wall out of nowhere, and they were nose to nose again.

However, his gaze was away from her, down the corridor. The press of his erection against her hips ran a pleasant shiver up her spine that hurt to ignore. It also made it difficult to process his rumbled whisper.

“Cábron over there isn’t flat-lining,” he said into her neck as his hands moved to her butt.

She considered asking how he could clock a pulse from 20 feet away as she put her arms around his neck and returned his kiss, but decided against it.

Jackie pulled her leg up to his hip and reached around her thigh to touch her through her jeans. Eves stretched against him, hand at the back of his neck as she moaned. And quickly spied down the hallway. Was that dude laying differently than before? Maybe.

“Any moment now, chica.” His voice had dropped again, and its rumble spread across her skin as he pushed her leg up higher. She ground against his hand with a whimper, savouring the flickering pleasure.

His gaze jumped away for an instant, and then returned looking far too pleased with himself. Eves glanced in the same direction, saw what he had and rolled her eyes as his grin became wider still.

“Dead men don’t get boners,” he said and gave her butt a squeeze for emphasis.

Neither did unconscious men, for that matter. Had he be awake all along? Seen her enter and told the woman? Who was he? Who was she? They needed a Plan B, and fast. Her gaze fell on the restroom sign.

“Restroom. Men’s,” Eves said all but against his lips. Then grabbed the front of his tanktop with both hands and pulled him into a kiss. Jackie hooked an arm around her waist, and half dragged, half carried her towards it.

He shoved his shoulder against the flaky door and pushed it open. Eves tripped over his feet as he pulled her with inside.

When it fell closed behind them, she paused. The grubby space was poorly lit and definitely worse off than its counterpart. Jackie leaned heavily against the grimy wall tiles. She let herself flop along with him, his arm still around her waist.

There was no other door except to cubicles.

Jackie glanced at her from the corners of his eyes.

“Now what, chica?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I gave this chapter a title styled like the previous ones, reflecting the plot. But what I *really* wanted to call it is ‘the art of dry-humping your bestie’. No, don't thank me, you’re most welcome.
> 
> Translation of their Spanish:
> 
> Jackie:  
> Lo pinche sabiá  
> I fucking knew it  
> We saw pinche briefly in the previous chapter, now see it in action! Repeatedly!
> 
> Jackie & Eves:  
> Una corp es una corp primero  
> A corp is a corp first  
> Turn of phrase they were taught growing up which expresses that no matter how nice-sounding, how green-seeming, how straight-laced appearing: a company is *always* a company first and foremost. They will make the choices that benefit their bottom line, when push comes to shove, over everything else
> 
> Jackie:  
> Lo siento, churri  
> I feel it, churri  
> That is, the Spanish equivalent of a good, heartfelt ‘I’m sorry’. Sentir is a great verb, aside from similar uses as the English ‘to feel’, it also carries the meaning of ‘regret’ with that feeling of regarding something as intrinsically painful and maybe it shouldn’t have happened or you wish you could have stopped it from happening. I went with ‘lo siento’ over ‘lo lamento’ (literally ‘I regret it’) because it feels more intimate and has emphasis on sharing someone’s pain, to me.
> 
> Jackie:  
> Mi cerebrita chula  
> My pretty nerd  
> Yes, I do derive great joy from making up all these nicknames, thank you for noticing.
> 
> Jackie:  
> No mires  
> Don’t look
> 
> Jackie:  
> La rascaciela with the holo-glasses  
> That skyscraper over there with the holo-glasses  
> The nickname game isn’t reserved to friends, either. Granted, doing this towards strangers can of course be taken as super rude (by those strangers).
> 
> Jackie:  
> Mamacita  
> Hot mama  
> Not without controversy, this one, as it’s premium cat-call material. Used similarly as the English ‘babe’ or ‘gorgeous’. Though I feel that ‘babe’ has lost a lot of its sexual undertone in English these days. Considering what they are up to, I can see why she let it slide. Personally, I always associate it with Johnny Bravo so I just can’t be mad or take it serious, haha.
> 
> Eves:  
> Mi torro chulo  
> My sexy bull  
> Remember how I said ‘chulo’ can mean ‘hot’ or ‘sexy’ besides ‘handsome’? Here it is in action. It feels a little weird translating their sexy nicknames for each other but I wouldn’t want you to miss the absolute inanity of some of them. If you weren’t embarrassed reading this fic yet, you surely will be soon!
> 
> Eves:  
> Falla mía  
> My fault
> 
> Eves:  
> Ya estuvo, cachondo  
> That’s enough, horny  
> Here we see ‘ya estuvo’ in its natural habitat.
> 
> Eves:  
> Ven pa’ca, tonto  
> C’mere, stupid  
> ‘Ven pa’ca’ is a contraction of ‘vente para aquí’ meaning ‘come over here’. ‘Tonto’ is similar to the English usage of ‘silly’, ‘stupid’, ‘idiot(ball)’
> 
> Jackie:  
> El dolor  
> The pain
> 
> Eves:  
> No. Cansada.  
> No, I am tired.  
> Notice the feminine gendering. Jackie would have said (about himself) ‘cansado’.
> 
> Eves:  
> Eres el mejor  
> You’re the best
> 
> Eves:  
> Ay, chafa  
> Oh, useless  
> Chafa is a pretty versatile word to express something is crappy, sucky, or otherwise disappointing.
> 
> Eves:  
> Olé  
> Exclamation, not really translatable but similar to saying ‘bravo’ in English, as when someone does something impressive. Possibly derived from the arabic ‘yallah’ meaning ‘go’. You’ll hear it in other places than bullfighting, mind, flamenco for example, but you now see what I did here, I hope
> 
> Eves:  
> Ay, Dios mío  
> Oh, my God  
> Or probably, ooooooh my gawd. (:
> 
> Eves:  
> Hija de puta  
> Son of a bitch  
> Though I used the feminine ‘hija’ instead of ‘hijo’ so, daughter of a bitch? Invent new swears, I am all for it.
> 
> Jackie:  
> Querida  
> Lover  
> Same energy as the English ‘honey’, and can be used platonically, I think
> 
> Eves:  
> En otro momento, mi tonto macho  
> In (some) other moment, my dumb macho  
> Or in English, ‘some other time’. I suppose you could translate ‘macho’ to ‘man’ if you wanted.
> 
> Eves:  
> Qué carajo  
> What cock  
> Used in the same way as the English ‘what the fuck’. Definitely not for polite company.
> 
> Eves  
> Ay Muerte  
> Oh Death  
> I took some artistic liberty with our penchant for interjections involving Jesus to express shock, and instead used the Valentinos Santa Muerte.
> 
> Jackie:  
> Cábron  
> He-goat  
> A swear to cover you when in need of the English ‘asshole’, ‘shithead’, ‘jerkass’, ‘bastard’ range. Mileage varies


	4. That's Not What Those Are For

_That’s an excellent question_ , Eves thought as she hung against Jackie’s side. And one that she had no answer to. “At least she won’t think we’re beating it.”

She wondered if vomit-hugger had gone and ran to tell the woman where they’d gone. If they were lucky, it would buy them some time.

A tug at her waist.

She turned unto her shoulder and met Jackie’s cheeky grin. 

“She might think ya beatin’ somethin', chica.”

Eves leaned in till her chin brushed his collar bones, then grabbed his crotch and rubbed his junk through his pants. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

His gaze hooded as he pressed into her palm. “Sí, mamacita.”

“Sé bueno.” She drew his belt tight with a sharp jerk before releasing it. “Or you can beat it on your own.”

He flicked his chin side to side, his grin cocky. “Sí señorita.”

She moved her hold and caught his balls, folding her palm around them. “What did you say, esé?”

“¡Ay! Sí, señora!”

A little noise escaped him when she squeezed tighter and leaned her head against the wall tiles. “¿Qué?”

“Perdóname, señora.” He placed his hand across his heart and looked as regretful as could be.

“Buen chico.” Eves let go and slipped her hand into his pants and underwear instead. She fit her palm around his dick and kneaded her fingers along the warm beef. She’d be lying if she said she hadn’t missed the feel of it stiffening at her touch.

Jackie hauled her closer, strong hands seizing her bum and thigh as he leaned down. His lips brushed past hers. “Gracias, señora.”

She cupped his jaw and touched kisses to his parted lips. “Gusta es mío,” she whispered against them as she moved her hand with a firm, languid pull.

“Síí.” His hold on her tightened with a groan. Broad fingertips dug into her skin through her jeans, but she liked it. He sagged back against the wall, dragging her with while she jerked him again, and again. It drew moans out of him that rumbled up from the pit of his stomach and send goosebumps down her back.

She locked an arm around his thick neck and pulled herself closer still, straddling his leg. A little mewl escaped her at the spark of pleasure darting across her abdomen when she pushed her hips into his muscular thigh. His breath came in heavy pants as she rode herself against him and enjoyed the rapidly building tension.

She teased kisses along his jaw and tightened her hold on his cock, but slowed the pace of her jerks.

“¡Ay, no!” Jackie complained as the force of his grip crossed into bruising. She savoured its strength as it rolled up his arms and flexed the muscles across his chest.

“What is it, mi toro fuerte?” she said against his cheek and flexed her hold on him as she pushed her knee up between his legs. “¿Que duele?”

He squeezed her into his chest, fist against her back as he thrust into her tight grip. A groan that turned into a whine. “Duele tan bueno, señora.”

Beside them, the door croaked. A fashionable youth entered: neon green hair, snazzy shave, designer leggings, and a bounce to his step like he had been enjoying himself. Eves froze mid jerk but saw it wasn’t barf-face in the split second it took Jackie to whip out one of his pistols.

The youth all but jumped out of his excessively tight pants. “Jésus, relax mec!”

“Five seconds, choom.”

Jackie’s voice was a low growl Eves felt reverb in his chest. She slow rode against his thigh, her cheek in the crook of his neck as she gazed along the barrel. The safety was off. His finger wasn’t on the trigger, but she wanted it to be.

“Cuatro.”

“Mec, chill!” The poor sucker raised his hands as if that would stop a bullet.

“Tres.” 

Jackie bent his finger, sliding it towards the trigger. A soft moan against his neck as she palmed his balls.

“Dos…”

The youth bolted, the door slamming shut on his heels.

Jackie thumbed the safety and wrapped his arm around her waist, not bothering to holster his pistol. “¿Estabas diciendo, querida?”

Eves rolled her hips against his thigh as she traced pecks up along his throat to the edge of his jaw. His hand dropped to her butt — firm knuckles and the hard angles of the gun pressing through her jeans. She leaned toward it with a whimper.

He tilted his head, a grin teasing behind his bedroom eyes as he slid the barrel down along the curve of her bum. The shiver that ran up her spine made her moan.

“Ya wanna clock this piece, chalupita?” he said, his voice a breathy mess.

She pushed her hips unto his leg and stretched along his chest, savouring the pleasure it sparked. Then took his cock in hand again and drew a noise from him as she pulled up along his hard shaft. Her lips brushed past his. “Like you don’t know.”

She leaned into his fist and the firm press of the gun, but he backed it away. His little smirk grew smug as he observed her, all but hanging from his neck. “Ask me nicely.”

“Sí?” she asked.

Eves smiled sweetly and ran a finger along his jaw, down to his collar bone, fingers twisting into the gold chains around his neck a split second before she yanked him to eye-height. 

“ _Do it_ , cabrón.”

Her nose touched his as she tightened her hold on his dick, fingers squeezing into the stiff beef.

“Before I snap it.”

“¿Para usted, señora caliente?” He brushed his nose past hers with a slight grunt. “Anything at all.”

She kneaded the base of his shaft, liking the firm feel of it, the way it stiffened further still. He groaned and checked the safety across her shoulder, swapped hand, flipped the pistol and traced the barrel along the curve of her butt. Then lower, between her legs. The hard angles pressed into her labia despite her jeans, sending sparks racing down to the very tips of her toes.

His arm locked around her waist, hand on her butt—strong fingers dug in, pulled her up, drawing her higher unto his thigh and lodging the piece beneath her. He kissed her roughly, deeply, its urgency creasing a frown unto his face.

She moaned into the kiss as he rubbed the barrel along her vulva, enjoying the feeling as she ran her palm along the underside of his hard shaft, then pulled down with a firm stroke. Her breath came in pants against his lips as she rolled her hips, driving her pleasure higher.

He tilted the pistol, touched the muzzle against her entrance, and swallowed her mewl with kisses. “What next, mami chula?” he said as he pressed it closer, making her moan.

“Mi toro rijoso is going to fuck me next, sí?” She ghosted kisses against his grin, which evaporated into a groan when she worked her fingers up his shaft and squeezed them around the base.

"¡Ay, sííí, señora!" Jackie caught her face in both hands; the pistol grip hugging her cheek as he kissed her.

A grunt into their kiss as she gripped him tighter and pulled him with to the nearest cubicle. "Ven pa'ca, semental."

Blundering along as she shoved his pants down, he shouldered the cubicle's rickety door open by throwing his considerable weight into it, ignoring the flimsy bolt lock altogether. The booth was cramped for a single occupant, nevermind two. Its hardboard separators hung crookedly from their steel cabling on either side, and their peeling paint had long since faded to a sickly green, even though they never saw the light of day. The grubby, off-white wall tiles were covered in randy graffiti all the way up to the old air vent.

Jackie flipped the seat and cover down with a crack and sat heavily, slouching as he took himself in hand and beckoned her. "Ya cum here often, señora?"

"Not near as often as I deserve," Eves said as she dragged her hoodie off over her head. A hand caught her hip and tugged her closer as she freed her arms and discarded the garment.

Jackie bent forward and rumpled her tube top up, revealing her belly and kissing the roses inked just below her navel. "Mis disculpas, señora."

She slid her hands under his jacket and shoved it off his shoulders, massaging the thick muscles there as she kept him near—warm breath against her hips. Strong fingers pressed beneath the hem of her jeans and underwear, and shoved them down to her knees with a single push she felt roll up his arms. He kissed lower, following the roses, hands back on her bum and tilting her hips closer. A shiver of anticipation squirmed down her neck.

"Later, Romeo," she said as she caught his jaw in both hands.

He leaned his chin against her belly and wrapped his arms around her bare waist, palms caressing her back. "Mi gusta, señora."

She kissed his forehead and disentangled herself from his grip. He sat back and reached for his dick, but she swatted his hands away.

"¡Ey!" He brought them up in surrender.

Eves stepped back and turned around with a neat roll of her hips, attracting a wolf whistle from him.

"Don't make me smack you, esé." 

He kissed the air in her direction as she dropped herself, butt-first, into his lap. He caught her, arms returning to her waist, his breath hot in her neck. She spread her thighs past his knees and reached beneath them, pressing his hard shaft along her vulva. He rolled his hips and slid it between her soft and moist labia. The noise that drew from him lit up every single nerve from her hips to her toes. She bit her lip as the promise of pleasure settled heavily at the base of her spine.

Jackie ran a hand up her thigh and reached down with the other, folding her labia around his dick, punctuating his question with a light thrust. "Wanna smash that door, hermosa?" he said against her skin.

"Síí."

His arm flexed to steel around her waist the split second before he rose and carried her with to the cubicle's door. He shoved her up against it as he squeezed his hand between the hardboard and her, fingertips rubbing her clit amid inked roses. She moaned as he pushed his dick between her slick thighs.

She barely stood at all as he thrust up, hips trapped between his warm groin and the cold door, hands slipping and sliding on the flaking paint. His palms were hard and clammy around her hips, lifting her, tilting her this way, then that way. He made a noise against her neck, a snort of frustration as she felt him thrust past her entrance. She hit her fist against his shoulder with a whine. C'mon, c'mon, _c'mon!_

A distinct chirp sounded, like the tweet of a particularly irritated sparrow. Eves knew it was her phone but didn't give a damn. Her fingers clenched around the top edge of the door as she whined and shifted, balanced on her toes, tried to adjust to help him position his dick. 

"Que bien chinga," she complained when he pushed past once more, and she struck his shoulder once again.

Two more chirps sounded in rapid succession.

His grip on her hips tightened, his breath short, hot and hard in her neck. "Churri. Ur phone."

She hooked an arm around his thick neck and let go of the door to reach down. He shifted, adjusted, held her as she swayed against him. Her fingertips brushed his dick. His breath came in pants against her cheek as she closed her fingers around his shaft. She needed him inside her. And soon. "Pinche cabrón. Fóllame, ¡ya!" 

He responded instantly when she pressed the head against her entrance. Force rolled down from his shoulders, arching his back, aligning his hips and flexing his thighs to steel. She braced, whined, felt him strain. Tension cramped his shoulders, hardening the muscles across his chest as he held back.

"Could be Mikku," he managed between snorted breaths.

_Could be—_

Her mood tanked as she let go of his cock.

She had forgotten Mikku had come home.

She had forgotten and hadn't told her she'd be late.

"Where is it?" Her tone was sharp, snappy. Pitching, maybe. She couldn't help it. 

Eves patted herself as Jackie fished her phone from her pants its back pocket and handed it to her. He sat her down and slumped back against the separator, which creaked on its cabling. She glanced at him - sweat beading on his forehead, his broad chest heaving under his laboured breath, his pants on his knees and his dick still hard as all.

And then at her phone, and felt worse still.

"It's Mina," she said, unable to hide her dismay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation of their Spanish:
> 
> Eves:  
> Sé bueno  
> Be good  
> That is, the equivalent of how ‘behave’ is used in English.
> 
> Jackie:  
> Sí señorita  
> Yes little lady  
> Its similar to the English use of ‘Miss’ and all in the delivery. In Jackie’s case, he’s giving her that sassy mocking-the-School-Miss tone (with love).
> 
> Jackie:  
> Ay! Sí, señora!  
> Ouch! Yes, lady!  
> The same but without the diminutive. He’s using it straight as a proper formal address. In English ‘ma’am’ is similar, I think. In future chapters, you’ll also hear him tease her with being a ‘señora’ (or nearly so) due to climbing the social ladder. It ties into her ex-fiancé too, whom Jackie disparagingly calls ‘señorón’ but more on that later.
> 
> Jackie:  
> Perdóname, señora  
> Forgive me, lady  
> For when ‘perdón’ just doesn’t cut it. I feel its a little more intense than the English ‘sorry’. You’re not sorry, you’re SO SORRY, THE SORRY IS ALL YOURS.
> 
> Eves:  
> Buen chico  
> Good boy  
> Yea, ‘chica’ isn’t a one-way street. Don’t let Hollywood lie to you. Call the boys ‘chico’ right back at them.
> 
> Eves:  
> Gusta es mío  
> (the) pleasure is mine  
> And now you can never use this sentence again without thinking of this. No, don’t thank me, de nada.
> 
> Eves:  
> Mi toro fuerte  
> My strong bull  
> You could also translate it with ‘sturdy’ or ‘loud’, so take that as you will.
> 
> Eves:  
> Que duele?  
> What hurts?  
> Similar to the English ‘where does it hurt?’ The working friend of ‘el dolor’, which we saw earlier, and derived from ‘doler’, to ‘hurt’ or ‘pain’ (as in: ‘it pains me’) but also to ‘grieve’ and ‘rankle’.
> 
> Jackie:  
> Duele tan bueno, señora  
> It hurts so good, lady  
> Will I ever run out of bien-constructions? Probably not. Did you know you can use ‘tan’ for other things than ‘as’ (comparisons)? Now you do.
> 
> The poor French wiener:  
> Jésus, relax mec!  
> Jesus, relax dude!  
> French, actually. What, you thought I was bilingual? HAH. Prepare to cry over half a dozen dictionaries.
> 
> Jackie:  
> Five seconds, choom  
> Against popular belief, not Spanish. In 56 years ‘chum’ has apparently gone through a phonological shift to ‘choom’. For the sake of completeness, ‘chum’ is a type of fishbait and a colloquialism in English for ‘buddy’. It’s also a verb for displaying good-natured friendliness (i.e. being ‘chummy’ or ‘chummed around’ with friends). Based on in-universe usage, I am going to assume it still means roughly the same.
> 
> Jackie:  
> Estabas diciendo, querida?  
> You were saying, lover?  
> Used here like the English ‘where were we.’
> 
> Jackie:  
> Chalupita  
> And we’re back to the nicknames and snacks. Derived from chalupas, this time.
> 
> Jackie:  
> Para usted, señora caliente?  
> For you, hot lady?  
> It’s sad that English does not really have a formal or honorific ‘you’ because that’s what he’s using.
> 
> Jackie:  
> Mami chula  
> Hot mommy  
> Though you could also translate it with ‘cute’, ‘sexy’ or ‘handsome’ instead of ‘hot’. Its the counterpart to ‘papi chulo’ and milage varies enormously.
> 
> Eves:  
> Mi toro rijoso  
> My randy bull  
> The best part about ‘rijoso’ is that it also has a whiff of ‘quarrelsome’ or ‘belligerent’. And if I recall correctly, you can use it to describe an animal in rut too. In other words: perfect for the situation at hand.
> 
> Jackie:  
> Ay, sííí, señora  
> Oh, yesss, lady  
> NARRATOR: They didn’t tho
> 
> Eves:  
> Ven pa'ca, semental  
> C’mere, stud
> 
> Jackie:  
> Mis disculpas, señora  
> My apologies, lady
> 
> Jackie:  
> Mi gusta, señora  
> I like (it), lady  
> ‘Gustar’ is a reflexive verb that is in literal translation closer to the English ‘to please’. It’s used in constructions like this to mean ‘liking (something)’ but you could argue you’re saying ‘(something) pleases me’ and not be wrong.
> 
> Jackie:  
> Hermosa  
> Beautiful
> 
> Eves:  
> Que bien chinga  
> You chinga really well  
> I wish I had the space to introduce you to the wonderful world of the swear ‘chinga’ and its many, many uses and variations. Its impossible to translate, but used in ways similar to the English usage of ‘cool’ and ‘fuck’. She’s basically saying something, like, “Wow, you’re so good at sucking at this” or “you’re fucking up really nicely.”
> 
> Eves:  
> Pinche cabrón. Fóllame, ¡ya!  
> Fucking asshole. Fuck me, NOW.  
> ‘Ya’ is also a wonderful and useful word, and nowhere do I have nearly enough space here to go into that either. As an adverb you can use it in like, half a dozen different ways to mean things like ‘now’, ‘already’, to bridge past and present, or as a distributive conjunction (which English doesn’t have, I don’t think). But also locutions (as in ‘ya mero’, meaning right away/in a moment) or even as a collonquial interjection somewhat similar to ‘Ay’.


End file.
